Make me coach, I can deliver results in one year: Pillay
Former captain Dhanraj Pillay has expressed his desire to be the coach of the Indian hockey team and claims that if given a free hand he can deliver results in within a year.
|Last Updated: Jul 22, 2013, 05:16 PM IST|Source: Bureau
New Delhi: Former captain Dhanraj Pillay has expressed his desire to be the coach of the Indian hockey team and claims that if given a free hand he can deliver results in within a year.
Pillay is not in favour of a foreign coach for Indian hockey and insists that there is no dearth of good coach in the country.
"Indian hockey does not need a foreign coach. We have been spending a lot of money on foreign coaches but from Gerhard Rach (in 2004 Athens) to Micheal Nobbs (2012 London Olympics), the outcome is the same.
Indian hockey is back to square one and we are now struggling to qualify for the World Cup," Pillay told to media.
"India has no dearth of talent as far as good coaches are concerned. Give me the charge and I promise to deliver results in one year provided I am given a free hand," said the legendary striker who is the coach of Air India, the current national champion side.
"There are instances in the past when coach of the national championship winning side was given the charge of senior men`s team. There are many examples like Cedric D`souza, Vasudevan Bhaskaran, Rajinder Singh or Harendra Singh. Then why not me?"
The chief coach`s post of the Indian hockey team is presently lying vacant after the unceremonious exit of Micheal Nobbs recently.
But Hockey India has already made it clear that they are looking for a foreign coach for the national side.
Pillay, however, said that only an Indian coach can understand Indian players well.
"About 50 to 60 per cent hockey players in India are not highly qualified. They don`t understand the english of foreign coaches and have to depend on interpreters. Foreign coaches also bring their own support staff along with them," he said.
"We taught world how to play hockey and now our hockey depends on foreign experts. Indian players are matured enough and they don`t need to learn the game. Indian hockey needs an expert who can encourage them to do well as a unit," he said.
Pillay is not very appreciative about Indian hockey`s High Performance Director Roelant Oltmans with whom he has worked in the inaugural Hockey India League.
"If Oltmans is such a capable coach, why did he fail to win the title for UP Wizards in HIL where he himself chose his team," he said.
He is also not too optimistic about India`s chances in the Asia Cup which they need to win to qualify for the next year`s World Cup.
"It is going to be really tough. India need a miracle to win the title," Pillay concluded.
PTI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.